A mock election held by two youth advocacy groups found that 61 percent of participants support the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the presidential election, the organizers said yesterday.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) received 17.7 percent of the “votes,” while the People First Party’s (PFP) cross-party ticket with the Republican Party received 13.6 percent, the Taiwan Alliance for the Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare, and the Alliance for Promoting Civic Rights of 18-year-olds said.
The results of the simulated vote were similar to polls conducted by mainstream media, Taiwan Alliance for the Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare secretary-general Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Yeh said the event was held to garner support for the groups’ bid to urge the Legislative Yuan pass a constitutional amendment to lower legal voting age from 21 to 18, adding that the movement has garnered the support of about 77 percent of the youth who participated in the mock election.
Prominent “Third Force” parties seem to enjoy greater popularity among the youth, as established political parties seemed to have a difficult time resonating with younger “voters” Yeh said, adding that the New Power Party received 16 percent of the votes, the same number as the KMT.
The DPP was again placed first in a separate vote for political parties with 28 percent of the votes, the organizers said.
The Republican Party and the Faith and Hope League had weak support, with 1.8 percent and 1.9 percent respectively, organizers said.
The Green Party-Social Democratic Party Alliance received 8 percent of the votes, Yeh said.
A total of 14,304 young Taiwanese between the ages of 15 and 20 participated in the mock election, with 3,512 voting online and 10,792 voting in designated booths set up by the organizers.
Forty-nine percent of voters were female.
A breakdown of voters showed that 16 percent were 15 years-old, 25 percent were 16 years old, 15 percent were 19 years old and 10 percent were 20 years old.
Seventeen and 18-year-olds each comprised 17 percent of voters.
Yeh urged presidential candidates to comment on the mock election’s outcome during presidential debates.
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